The campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris is increasing its efforts to link former President Donald Trump to Mark Robinson, the North Carolina gubernatorial candidate embroiled in a scandal over explicit and shocking online comments. As the presidential race intensifies, Harris’ team is using this controversy to their advantage in key swing states, including North Carolina.
During a press conference at Trump Tower in New York City, Trump evaded questions about whether he would withdraw his endorsement of Robinson in light of recent revelations about the Lieutenant Governor’s alleged engagement in offensive online posts. “I don’t know the situation,” Trump stated, quickly moving on to other topics.
A CNN report connected Robinson to comments made on a pornographic forum. In one of the posts, Robinson identified himself as a “black NAZI!” and expressed pro-slavery sentiments. Despite Robinson’s vociferous denials, the report has resulted in the resignation of several staff members and mounting criticism from the Republican party.
Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, sharply criticized Trump’s apparent lack of concern: “It’s impossible to believe that, somehow, Donald Trump missed the news about his handpicked candidate for governor calling himself a ‘Nazi.’”
The Harris campaign is focusing on Trump’s association with Robinson in hopes of gaining an advantage in North Carolina, a crucial swing state. “There’s an unlikely star in Kamala Harris’ push to win North Carolina: Mark Robinson,” reported ABC 11. Campaign volunteers are emphasizing Robinson’s controversial comments and Trump’s ongoing support to North Carolina voters, especially as Robinson’s supporters start to distance themselves. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a member of the Republican Governors Association, publicly withdrew his support this week.
Despite Robinson receiving past praise from Trump as “one of the great leaders in our country,” Trump has notably avoided mentioning him at recent North Carolina campaign events. This omission has not been overlooked. “Democrats aren’t making it easy for Trump to distance himself,” observed ABC 11. The Harris campaign continues to draw attention to Trump’s endorsement of Robinson.
At the same press conference in New York, Trump discussed several issues, spending a significant portion blaming Harris for immigration issues and making unfounded claims. “She lost 325,000 children, and they’re either dead, being sold into sex slavery or just plain missing,” Trump alleged, without evidence, linking Harris to the deaths and disappearances of children at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump’s allegations have been widely debunked. They seem to stem from an incorrect interpretation of an August report from the Department of Homeland Security, which stated that 32,000 migrant children missed their scheduled immigration court hearings. There is no evidence to back up Trump’s claims.
In the same press conference, Trump also promised mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, vowing to implement a strategy similar to President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Operation Wetback.” “This will be much larger than that, but we will get rid of the drug dealers, human traffickers, and murderers,” Trump pledged.
North Carolina is emerging as a critical battleground in the 2024 election, being one of the most competitive states. While Trump won North Carolina by a narrow margin of 1.3 percentage points in 2020, Harris’ team is hoping that Robinson’s issues will give Democrats the advantage needed to secure the state’s 16 electoral votes.
However, some within the Harris campaign are concerned that even Robinson’s downfall may not be enough to swing North Carolina to the Democrats. A volunteer named Vernon Daughtry expressed hope that the scandal could still influence the race. “I hope he brings Trump down,” Daughtry said of Robinson.
Despite these concerns, Harris’ campaign is confident that its focus on Robinson will resonate with voters, especially among North Carolina’s suburban, college-educated population and expanding Hispanic and African American communities. These demographics could be crucial in a state that no Democrat has won since Barack Obama’s victory in 2008.
As the Robinson controversy continues to develop, the impact it will have on Trump’s standing in North Carolina remains uncertain. However, the Harris campaign is making every effort to use the scandal to their benefit.